- April 25, 2024
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Expanding the city’s reclaim water. Aiding the Ormond Beach Historical Society in creating a museum of history in town. A new police department and emergency operations center on the west side.
These were some of the top priorities outlined by the Ormond Beach City Commission at its Strategic Plan update workshop on Tuesday, Jan. 31. The workshop, moderated by facilitator Michelle Bono, allowed the commissioners to discuss the ideas, issues and goals they most wanted to explore in the next few years. The strategic plan was last updated in 2019, following the OB Life meetings, the city’s civic engagement workshops.
“This is your time to discuss your issues and what’s important to you with your colleagues and provide staff with clear policy direction for the years ahead,” City Manager Joyce Shanahan said.
The strategic issue categories were community development and transportation, economic development, governance, public safety, quality of life and water quality and the environment.
Transportation and community development and quality of life were the two categories with the most identified goals.
The top priority identified in the community development and transportation category involved the former church property, and now parking lot, at 56 N. Beach St. Commissioners expressed a desire to determine the best way to redevelop the property, as well as implement signage or other improvements to enhance its current use in the meantime.
Commissioner Travis Sargent suggested adding shadow boxes or other displays to exhibit Ormond Beach history.
“If we’re going to leave it a parking lot for now, at least let’s make it a nice parking lot and share our history down in that area,” he said.
The next two top goals in the category were updating the airport’s voluntary noise abatement program and finding a way to attract an emergency room or medical clinic to the beachside.
The Ormond Beach Historical Society has long been working to establish a museum of Ormond Beach history at the MacDonald House. The commission all agreed it should be a top priority to help them in this mission, and suggested extending a 50-year lease to the organization may help.
“I think they are located in a central place, but they have other plans part of the build-out of that building, and before they can do any serious fundraising, that would be the first step,” Mayor Bill Partington said.
Commissioners agreed that expanding the city’s reclaim water system, as well as continuing to pursue more storage, were priorities. Four of them also highlighted continuing to pursue septic to sewer conversions, starting within the city limits, to help with the overall goal of decreasing the effluent that is discharged into the Halifax river.
“I feel like we need to show that we can do it well on smaller projects that are within city limits,” Partington said.
Should the state increase regulations regarding discharge into the Halifax River, maintaining a septic system will become more expensive for residents, and Partington said that will likely be the only way they will voluntarily come to the city asking for a conversion.
New Britain Avenue will close from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 4, between North Beach Street and North Ridgewood Avenue for the ninth annual Granada Grand Festival of the Arts.
Traffic will be redirected to West Granada Boulevard and Lincoln Avenue.
The road will reopen once the event has concluded.
Two neighborhood meeting sessions will be held on Wednesday, Feb. 8, for the proposed 300-lot residential subdivision on the former Tomoka Oaks Golf Course at 20 Tomoka Oaks Boulevard.
The first session is scheduled for 5 p.m. and the second will be at 7 p.m. Both will be held in the sanctuary at Temple Beth-El at 579 N. Nova Road.
The golf course sold in 2021 for $2.6 million. Of the 551 lots in the existing Tomoka Oaks subdivision, 178 of them border the golf course.
After the neighborhood meeting, the project will need to be reviewed by both the Planning Board and the City Commission for approval.
The city of Ormond Beach partially reopened Andy Romano Beachfront Park, located at 839 S. Atlantic Ave., on Saturday, Jan. 28.
Residents are able to utilize the parking lot, pavilions, restrooms and picnic tables, and concessions will be available.
The areas that remain fenced-off are still in progress of being restored after Hurricane Nicole.
The Florida Department of Environmental Protection opened an online application portal on Wednesday, Feb. 1, for the Hurricane Restoration Reimbursement Grant Program.
According to a Volusia County press release, the program is designed to address coastal beach erosion incurred as a result of preparation for or damage due to Hurricanes Ian and Nicole. The portal can be accessed at floridadep.gov/hurricane.
The program will provide reimbursement for eligible projects to qualified applicants who own a residential property that falls under the program’s guidelines.
The Ormond Beach Planning Board will meet on Thursday, Feb. 9, at the City Commission Chambers to discuss one special exception and three land development code amendments.
The special exception was submitted by the Ormond Memorial Art Museum for the conversion of two parking spaces into a garden shed. The LDC amendments are all administrative.
New Britain Avenue will close from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 4, between North Beach Street and North Ridgewood Avenue for the ninth annual Granada Grand Festival of the Arts.
Traffic will be redirected to West Granada Boulevard and Lincoln Avenue.
The road will reopen once the event has concluded.
